Death of motorcyclist Jennifer Board prompts pledge on crime

The death of a young female ­motorcyclist struck by vigilantes chasing a stolen vehicle in Townsville has heaped more pressure on the Queensland government

Jennifer Board, 22, was killed in a motorcycle crash at Kirwan in Townsville. Picture: Instagram

The death of a young female ­motorcyclist struck by vigilantes chasing a stolen vehicle in Townsville has heaped more pressure on the Queensland government, which has vowed to implement sweeping justice changes to address the state’s youth crime crisis.

GPS tracking of young offenders and the restoration of breach of bail conditions are some options being considered by state authorities in an effort to curb youth crime following the death of three innocent people in the past two weeks.

State Police Minister Mark Ryan met with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and police commissioner Katarina Carroll on Friday to discuss the options available, pledging changes would be announced this week.

“Words cannot express the heartache and great sense of loss that the community is feeling right now,” Mr Ryan said on Sunday. “As the Premier has said, everything is on the table and there will be announcements in the coming days.”

Police allege 22-year-old Jennifer Board was killed while riding her motorcycle on Friday night, when struck by a Holden Statesman containing a group of people who were trying to chase down a stolen Hyundai suspected to have been driven by a teenage offender.

In a shocking development, Ms Board’s house was reportedly broken into following her death, all while her family was dealing with a scam fundraising page purporting to be set up for the young woman’s funeral.

A memorial rally for Jennifer Board near the accident site. Picture: Evan Morgan

Police had not laid charges at the weekend in relation to her death.

Townsville mayor Jenny Hill said the city was in a crime crisis that demanded long-term fixes to address the fundamental issues underlying the youth justice ­system.

“We need all levels of government to step up,” Ms Hill told The Australian.

“We have dysfunctional families that need help. We need to keep these kids off the streets and we need to do that with jobs.”

Ms Hill said the local crime issue was centred around a core group of young people who were “recruiting” others.

Additional jobs funded by federal or state government projects to address the area’s high youth unemployment levels would help prevent others from getting caught up in crime, she said.

“We have got to look at the cause or we won’t break this cycle,” she said.

Graham Board, the bereaved father of Jennifer, and his carer Denise Bowen at their home in Ingham. Picture: Cameron Bates

Ms Board’s distraught father, Graham Board, told the Townsville Bulletin that not enough was being done.

“So much of these stolen cars have been going on in Townsville and all they get is a slap on the fingers and they let them go out again,” he said.

The latest incident comes as mourners prepare for the funerals on Monday of Matt Field, Kate Leadbetter and their unborn son Miles, who died after a stolen car allegedly driven by a 17-year-old male repeat offender ploughed into them on Australia Day as they walked their dogs in Alexandra Hills, on Brisbane’s bayside.

Crime data shows Queensland was the only state to report an increase in car thefts from 2015 to 2019, with almost half carried out by people under the age of 24.

The number of juvenile offenders given cautions in Queensland was up 23 per cent last financial year compared with the previous year. Cautions were the most common penalty given over the past 15 years.

At the Magistrates Court level, only 1.4 per cent of young offenders were incarcerated while a third were given a reprimand.

Ms Palaszczuk said on Friday the community expected change.